World Occult Usage Guide

Chapter 31 Ouroboros

Vanessa's words shocked Lin An for a few seconds.

That's it.

The concept of a living person turning into an object is certainly chilling, but the moment the Mysterious One's level of corruption reaches 100%, that person is essentially dead.

That thing that is still active is just their "corpse" left on Titan.

"System, can I view the information on these mysterious individuals?" Lin An asked.

"No, you must witness the mystery and unlock the corresponding encyclopedia," the system's mechanical voice said ruthlessly.

"It's 2037 already, and you still haven't achieved remote information identification. You're an old relic; how dare you call yourself a system?"

"...I have never referred to myself as 'the system'."

Without the intuitive panel, Lin An had to guess the medium of the exchange items from the names and a few lines of description, such as the [Ghost Lamp], and the mysterious tool might be the "God of Agriculture".

【Devil's Dice】, judging from the description, is a "prophet" that I haven't encountered much.

【Dybbuk】Remains with traces of Canaanite magic and shares the same origin as Hittite rituals, but its function is not like that of a medium of the "Seeker of Knowledge" type.

The Invisible Candle... Burning Souls?
The fact that it only listed negative effects suggests that the foundation hasn't figured out what its purpose is either; they only know that when you carry it, your soul will be continuously absorbed.

and then?
No results?

Does an ability truly exist that only has negative effects?

Even a scoundrel like the "Lord of Dreams" knows to first lure users with immense power, luring them into a death trap before reaping their souls.

After reviewing the foundation's collection, Lin An was greatly disappointed.

Judging from the name and description alone, none of them fit the characteristics of a medium for "knowledge seekers".

Therefore, he can only choose a powerful mystery that does not require the 'God of Truth' medium; he cannot rely on the "Complete Book of Magic" forever.

Scrolling to the bottom of the page, Lin An tentatively asked, "Commander Vanessa, may I redeem any item here?"

“That’s what the president instructed,” Vanessa replied briefly.

"Including the 'Ouroboros'?"

At the very end of the page is an item called "Ouroboros" that costs 999 points, while the item above it only costs 450 points, which is enough to show how precious and powerful it is.

Vanessa paused, pondered for a moment, and said, "If the chairman doesn't specifically forbid it, then of course it's fine. But I'd like to remind you that the 'Ouroboros' is a very difficult mystical object to control, and almost no one in the Foundation can use it."

"Thank you for reminding me, Commander Vanessa. I think I've made up my mind."

"I understand."

Vanessa pressed a button with her floating hand, and the signal was transmitted from the cable to the terminal. The room was instantly filled with mechanical light, and there was a hissing sound as the tracks slid down. The wall in front of the computer lit up with green light, and a grid protruded forward.

She opened the cabinet door and took out a box.

"For your safety, the Foundation cannot hand it over to you for the time being. X has registered ownership of 'Ouroboros' in your name. Once you have completed the 'newcomer training' in the Direct Department, you can claim it from Mr. Lloyd using your black card."

"Thank you." Lin An walked over. "May I take a look? Just one glance."

"I'll open it for 10 seconds."

The dark bracelet lay quietly in the pure black, with a lifelike snake coiled up, its body perfectly round.

Its belly and back are saffron-colored, its head is dark green, and its four legs are made of four different metals, possibly lead, copper, tin, and iron.

The snake bit its own tail and swallowed most of it.

A system notification sounded in Lin An's mind.

"With your witness, the Philosopher's Stone Fragment II - Ouroboros has been unlocked in the Pokédex."

Name: Ouroboros

[Rating]: Disaster Level C

Radiation level: 3.5%
[Pollution Level]: 100%
[Medium]: Lord of Dreams
The name Ouroboros comes from the Greek words "oura," meaning "tail," and "boros," meaning "devourer." It represents the eternal cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, and its origins can be traced back to ancient moon worship.

The ancients associated the waxing and waning moon with snakes that constantly shed their skin and are reborn.

Despite different legends around the world, this Class C disaster mystery was clearly the ouroboros from alchemical culture in its previous life.

In alchemy, the ouroboros symbolizes the continuous transformation of things into other things, ultimately reaching a state of "all things are one".

The Codex of Maxianus states that the image of the ouroboros represents the unity of primordial matter.

This substance exists within all things in the world. It is the foundation of the Philosopher's Stone, the vessel for achieving immortality, and represents the cycle of alchemy: union, destruction, resurrection, and reunification.

In Chinese culture, the ouroboros is equivalent to the yin-yang symbol, depicting a harmonious blend of opposites.

So it was the "Lord of Dreams," no wonder Vanessa issued a warning.

"Snapped."

Ten seconds later, she closed the lid.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Lin. I look forward to hearing good news from you after the new recruit training. If there are no further questions, please leave this basement as soon as possible to go home and take care of personal matters, or go to the staff dormitory to rest. See you on Monday." "I'm not leaving. Your conditions are too good."

“If I were you, I would spend more time with my family and friends during this period,” Vanessa said, her tone somewhat complicated.

"It's okay, I have an appointment to meet a friend this afternoon."

"it's here?"

Lin An blinked innocently and said, "Commander Vanessa, April, who was 'controlled' at the Wood family villa last week, is my classmate."

“Oh, really?” Vanessa’s calm voice carried a hint of embarrassment. “That girl is under ‘Level 3 Control,’ not in the basement, but in the intensive care unit on the first floor. Did someone show you the way?”

"Yes, another friend of mine."

"...Here too?"

“His name is Mike Smith, and he’s joined the logistics department.” Lin An spread his hands. “You guys try to recruit a few more college students from Ann Arbor, and I won’t have any problem organizing an alumni reunion someday.”

"..."

Vanessa bid farewell to Lin An silently, the warehouse door closed, and she raised her head.

“You can get down now, Mr. Lloyd.”

The cold fluorescent light from the machine flowed through the vaulted ceiling, illuminating the mural in the center. Majestic, vibrant, and straightforward colors permeated the space between reality and illusion. An upside-down angel opened its silver-gray eyes, flapped its wings, and descended to the ground.

Feathers scattered and flew everywhere.

“To put it simply, I haven’t gleaned any useful information. Either he hasn’t awakened his mysticism yet, or his mysticism rating is higher than mine,” Vanessa said, speaking up.

“He’s mysterious, he just doesn’t trust us enough and doesn’t want to be discovered,” the boy said in a mature male voice. “I saw a metal shield slowly emerge with my own eyes.”

"Metal... He's from China, could he be related to weapon crafting?"

"That's an ancient land. Its greatness lies in its ability to withstand the relentless passage of time. Therefore, the Dragon Kingdom people do things differently from us, tending to 'hide their talents,' 'be humble,' and 'be patient'... Do you understand Chinese?"

"I have read the Tao Te Ching and Confucius."

Lao Tzu said, "Other men are clear and bright, but I alone am dim and weak. (The common people are bright and clear, but I alone am dim and weak. The common people are discerning and discerning, but I alone am dull and weak.)" Only fools understand everything clearly, while wise men only need to keep the "Great Way" in their hearts.

"You mean, as long as he's not a bad person at heart, we don't need to dwell on his past?"

"The 'Ouroboros' might be the best test. If he uses this mysterious item, it means he has done something to attract the 'Lord of Dreams.' And we all know that's never a good thing."

Vanessa remained silent.

…………

As Lin An walked through the hallway, he saw a familiar figure leaning against the door frame.

"Mike!"

The curly-haired young man suddenly turned around, his eyes lighting up.

"Forest!"

He gave Lin An a bear hug. In just a few days, Mike looked more mature than he had been in college.

"Dude, I didn't expect you to be recruited by this organization too." His surprise was mixed with a hint of helplessness. "So when you saw April back then... sigh!"

"No, I was contacted afterwards and that's how I learned what happened that day," Lin An said. "How is she now?"

“Thanks for your concern. She’s fine, but I was so worried about her these past few days.” Mike scratched his head. “Fortunately, the agency said that as long as she controls her emotions, reads less mythology and watches more trashy TV shows, her mutation symptoms will stabilize.”

Is this a veiled mockery of Ampire for being brainless and lacking in independent thought?

Foundation, you're using very sophisticated insults now.

"When my colleague emailed me, I could hardly believe you were the legendary 'Lin An'," Mike exclaimed. "It's the core organization of this superpower research institution, right here in front of the department."

"I'm a superhuman, and your girlfriend is a superhuman too. Mike, you know quite a few superhumans."

"Go away, stop making fun of me. Once April is healed, I'll move to another state with her. You can save Gotham by yourself, you freak."

As Mike spoke, he led Lin An into a clean and bright corridor. Along the way, they passed many doors with nameplates that resembled hospital wards. Mike swiped his black card to open one of them.

“Remember, don’t say anything irrelevant,” he warned.

Lin An gave an OK sign.

The winter sun weakly illuminated the room. A white-haired woman, covered by a blanket that smelled of disinfectant, her unusually tall and thin body hidden by a hospital gown, watched "City of Morning Light" on television with great interest.

Hearing the door open, she turned around and excitedly raised her hand.

"Mmm, mmm!"

The mangled jaw, devoid of flesh, opened and closed, emitting strange, unintelligible sounds. Lin An greeted him with a smile.

"Long time no see, April."

I can't figure out the crab's huge appetite... It's so frustrating.

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(End of this chapter)